What is Constipation?
In a healthy body waste moves through the digestive tract in a timely matter, which usually takes between six and twenty-four hours. But, when waste material passes through the digestive tract too slowly, the result is constipation. When you are constipated you may even lose the urge to pass stools. This may sound a little excessive, but in the Natural Medicine world we feel that a healthy person should have one to three complete bowel movements a day. Ideally, you should have a bowel movement for every meal you eat.
Who Gets Constipated?
It is estimated that more than four million Americans experience frequent constipation. This is determined by the 2.5 million physician visits a year, with complaints of constipation. Women and adults ages 65 and older account for most cases of constipation. Pregnant women tend to have constipation, and it is a common problem following childbirth or surgery. Anyone can get constipated, and most people have experienced constipation at one point or another.
What are the Symptoms of Constipation?
Sometimes the symptoms of constipation can merely be having hard stools. Other symptoms are; difficulty passing stools, having a tender and bloated abdomen, a decreased frequency of bowel movements, loss of appetite, malaise, and flatulence.
What are the Root Causes of Constipation?
A diet low in fiber, and healthy foods in the most common root cause of constipation. Inactivity, stress, and intestinal parasite can also be culprits of constipation.
Many medications can cause constipation. The medications that most commonly cause constipation are pain killers such as; Lortab, Morphine, and Vicodin. Colitis, a lack on intestinal flora, liver problems, an underactive thyroid, and a magnesium deficiency are also root cause. Another big problem with constipation, happens when people abuse laxative, and enema to help with their elimination. This causes the body to rely on these methods to keep regular, and often times this causes a whole host of problems.
Natural Remedies.
The best way to get regular is to improve your diet. Start to eat a diet high in leafy green ruffage, fibrous foods, such as; fruits, and vegetables. Drink at least one liter of purified water (water without fluoride) a day. Eat prunes with your breakfast, they really do work. Limit or avoid fried, extra fatty foods. Fat slows down the journey through the intestines. If you have sever constipation see the Colon Cleanse Section, and do a colon cleanse.
  | Flaxseed Oil- Take 1 to 2 Tablespoons or more a day for an adult, and 1 to 2 teaspoons fort children. Flaxseed lubricates the colon for make for easier passage. You can try mixing the flaxseed oil into yogurt, or put it on cereal for kids. The taste isn’t strong, the flavor kind of reminds me of green tea in a way. |
  | Probiotic- Take a good probiotic as directed on the label, which would be one that has at least 4 billion active organisms daily. The friendly bacteria found in probiotics helps to aid digestion, and elimination. |
  | Psyllium- Take 1 teaspoon of 5 grams of psyllium husks as directed on the label. Psyllium acts as a bulk forming laxative. |
  | Cascara Sagrada - Take 250 mg two to three times a day, This herbs should not be used long term for constipation. |
  | Naturalax by Nature’s Way- This is a great natural laxative complex. Naturalax is not recommended to be used long term. |
*Please check with your doctor before taking any supplements, and also read the warning labels on each product, especially if you are pregnant or breast-feeding. Also read the labels carefully when giving your child any natural supplement, to ensure that it is safe to give a child.
